Garlic is one of the EASIEST crops to grow in any space, even in small pots! These key tips will help you succeed.

• Garlic for Zones 9 and 10 benefits from 40 days in the fridge to ensure they are exposed to enough cold to guarantee vernalization. Keep in mind that when you take them out of the fridge, your garlic may have begun the sprouting process, and that’s okay! Vernalization triggers garlic to break dormancy and initiate bulb development.
• For Zones 9 and 10, we recommend you plant your garlic on Halloween for the longest growing period. Turn your irrigation off in May and harvest the garlic in July. Note: You can grow happy garlic from fall through early winter in Zones 9 and 10, but you will have the largest bulbs by planting them on or close to Halloween. Growers in areas with frost may need to plant earlier than Halloween while the ground is soft enough to be worked.
• Add straw to keep the moisture in. Weed regularly.

Tips for Chilling Garlic: Place your garlic heads in the fridge whole. Keeping them in a double brown paper bag in a low-humidity fridge drawer works great, so they remain cold without getting too much moisture. Be sure to label your garlic and add a planting reminder to your calendar to remind you when to start growing!

Common Mistakes When Planting Garlic

• Not watering during the growing period. Garlic likes moisture until about 4–6 weeks before harvesting. If irrigation is not turned off 4–6 weeks before harvesting, your garlic will rot!
• Planting in March or later will produce very small heads of garlic, though still tasty!
• Weeds compete with garlic; keep beds weeded.

Want to learn more about growing garlic? Check out these videos!